Packing member



June 25, 1968 T. M. MCKEE 3,389,848

PACKING MEMBER Filed Sept. 16, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fiiOMfiS M. A l-WEE 14 P /DI'II e S T. M. MCKEE PACKING MEMBER June 25, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1966 &

INVENTOR. filo/was M bss T. M. M KEE PACKING MEMBER June 25, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 16, 1966 INVENTDR. From/2s MIMI/ 5 (Mi Maw We] JI/aruik United States Patent "ice 3,389,848 PACKING MEMBER Thomas M. McKee, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor t0 Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 579,882 3 Claims. ((11. 229-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DESCLOSURE A packing member erected from a unitary blank and having multiple side and end walls and a central article supporting panel, the multiple side wall panels on opposite sides of the supporting panel being spaced from each other to provide either additional article-accommodating pockets or protective air cells.

This invention relates generally to packaging structures and in particular to a packing member adapted to support articles having critical surfaces within an outer packing carton or container.

In packaging of articles having critical surfaces, articularly where a plurality of such articles are to be packed in a single outer carton, it has been customary to use somewhat complicated, egg-crate style baffiin or packing members. This type of packing member, usually formed of corrugated board, has good vertical stacking strength but poor lateral or horizontal strength. Attempts have been made to overcome this weakness by shifting the direction of extension of the corrugations of the battling members. This does improve lateral strength, however, the vertical stacking strength of the packaging member is drastically weakened.

The packing member of the present invention is folded or erected from a prepared blank and when erected accommodates the article to be packed and fits within a conventional outer carton. The member is formed so that multiple thicknesses of corrugated board (the material from which the packing member is preferably formed) protect the critical surfaces of the article. It has improved vertical and horizontal strength and is easily and economically assembled or erected from a flat blank.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide "a packing member having the features referred to above.

This and other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a blank from which the packing member of the present invention is formed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the erected packing member with articles which may be accommodated in the packing member being shown in broken lines.

FIG. 3 is a erspective, bottom view of the packing member and showing portions of the articles which may be accommodated on the packing member in broken lines.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a conventional container or carton into which a group of the packing structures of the present invention have been inserted, the articles accommodated by the packing structures (for example, ring and pinion gears) being shown in solid lines.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a blank similar to that of FIG. 1 but modified slightly to accommodate a differing form of article.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a blank from which a modified form of the packing structure of the present invention may be erected.

FIG. 7 is an exploded, perspective view of a container and two of the packing structures formed from the blank 3,389,848 Patented June 25, 1968 of FIG. 6 being utilized as end members for the packaging assembly.

Referring initially to FIGS. 14, the packing member of the present invention is formed from a blank, shown in FIG. 1, which may be cut from corrugated board. The blank includes a central panel 10 which is double-scored along its side margins as indicated at 10a and 10b. These score lines define integral side panel elements indicated generally at 11 and 12, these side panel elements extending from each side margin of the central panel 10.

The side panel element 12 is intermediately and transversely scored as indicated at 13, a line out 14 defining an intermediate tab 16. An additional transverse, intermediate score line 17 defines with the score line 13 an intermediate strip 18 which is, of course, integral With the tab 16. The transverse scoring formed by the score lines 13 and 17 thus divides the side panel element 12 into attached side panels 19 and 21.

Similarly, on the opposite side of the base panel 19, the side panel element 11 is provided with score lines 22 and 23 which define the intermediate strip 24, the line cut 26 forming the tab 27 which is integral with the strip 24. The score lines 22 and 23 divide the side panel element 11 into two attached side panels 27 and 28 which are identical to the side panels 19 and 21 previously mentioned. Extending from the end margins of the central panel 10 are end flaps 29 and 31. Similarly, the side panels 21 and 28 have extending from their end margins end flaps 32 and 33 (extending from side panel 21) and end fiaps 34 and 36 (extending from side panel 28). The central panel end flaps 29 and 31 are provided with rectangular apertures 37 and 38 which accommodate the tabs 39 and 41 on the flaps 34 and 36 and the tabs 42 and 43 on the flaps 32 and 33. The retaining or locking means provided by the tabs and the apertures just referred to serve to hold the packing member in erected or set-up position as will be ev dent from FIGS. 2 and 3. Elongated apertures 44 and 46 are also formed in the central panel 10 and the adjacent side panels 19 and 27, and apertures 48 are formed in the central panel 10. The function of these apertures is to retain articles placed within the packing member as will be evident from FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the blank described with reference to FIG. 1 is erected by folding the side panels of each of the side elements of the blank into spaced parallel relation to each other and into perpendicular relation with respect to the central panel 10. As will be evident from FIG. 3, the intermediate strips 18 and 24 define the space between the adjacent side panels 19 and 2.1 and 28 and 27, respectively.

The erecting of the packing member is completed by folding the central panel end flaps 29 and 31 so as to extend toward the intermediate strips 18 and 24 and perpendicular to the central panel 10. The side panel end flaps 33 and 36 may be folded into overlying relation with their adjacent central panel end flap 31 and the side panel end flaps 32 and 34 may be folded'into overlying relation with the central panel end flap 29, the tabs 39, 41, 42 and 43 cooperating with the apertures 37 and 38 to lock the packing member in erected position. The tabs 16 and 27, as may be seen in FIG. 3, extend into overlapping relationship and serve to provide a separating abutment between the stub shafts 51 which extend from the pinion gears 52 (FIG. 2) accommodated within the packing member and shown in broken lines in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The space between the parallel side panels 19-21 and 27-28 accommodates the ring gears 53 and 54 which are shown in broken lines in FIG. 2. The pinion gears '52 and the ring gears 53 and '54 are typical of articles which may be advantageously packed by means of the packing member of the present invention. The apertures 44 and 46 provide accommodation for 3 the hub portion of the ring gears and, if required, when the pinions and ring gears are matched, a marking may be imprinted on the face of the central panel 10 indicating, for example, that .one of the pinion gears 52 is to be mated with the ring gear 54 and the other pinion gear 52 with the ring gear 53.

Each packing member may accommodate two pinionring gear sets and, as will be evident from FIG. 4, is adapted to be inserted, together with other identically loaded packing members into a conventional carton or container 61 having the conventional closure flap ar- Iangement 61a.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a modified form of the blank from which may be erected a packing member embodying the present invention will be described. The blank of FIG. is similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1 and differs primarily in that it is adapted to accommodate a differing form of article and the central panel 62 (comparable to the central panel .of FIG. 1)

is provided with a circular aperture 63 for accommodating a device such as a bell-housing. In this form of the structure the score lines 64 and 66 are not separated by a substantial distance so that the side panels 67-68 and 69-71 are separated only slightly when the blank is erected. The folding of the side panels and the side panel and central panel end flaps is identical to that described with reference to the erecting of the blank of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 a further modified form of the packing member of the present invention will be described. Referring initially to FIG. 6, the central panel (comparable to the central panel 10 of FIG. 1) is identified at 72 and extending from each side margin of the central panel are side panel elements which are divided into side panels 73-74 and 75-76, respectively. The transverse scoring 78 defines the side panels and the intermediate strips 79 define the spacing of the side panels when the packing member is erected. The scoring, identified at 81, which defines the side margins .of the central panel 7 2 is broken by cuts forming tabs 82. These form reinforcing, vertical elements when the container is erected as will be evident from FIG. 7. The central panel is provided with end flaps 83 and the side panels 74 and 76 are also provided with end flaps 84 and 86, respectively. The means for fastening the erected packing member differs from that of the structure of FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 in that the end flaps 84 and 86 are provided with sidewardly extending sub-flaps 87 and 88, respectively, and these sub-fl-aps are each provided with sidewar-dly extending tabs 87a and 88a, respectively. As will be evident from FIG. 7 the tabs are accommodated within the rectangular apertures 89 which are formed at the line of junction of the central panel end flaps 83 and the central panel 72.

When the blank of FIG. 6 is erected the side panels 73-74 and 75-76 are folded into spaced parallel relation with each other. The end flaps 84 and 86 are folded across the ends of the structure and, as will be evident from the lower portion of FIG. 7, the sub-flaps 87 and 88 are folded into overlying relation with the adjacent end flaps 84, 88 and 83, the entry of the tabs 87a and 88a into the apertures 89 serving to hold the packing structure in erected condition. As may be seen from FIG. 7, an article such as a fan and housing, indicated generally at 91, may have packing structures of the present invention placed at its upper and lower end faces when it is inserted into the conventional outer container indicated at 92. The packing member of the present invention provides multiple wall thickness at the side panels of the fan housing and thespacing of the side panels of the packing structure provides cushioning against transverse stresses or blows to the container.

While the invention has been desclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being made to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A packing member adapted to be inserted into an outer container having a central panel with an integral side panel element extending from each side margin .of the central panel, each of said side panel elements being intermediately and transversely scored to form two attached side panels, said transverse scoring in each side panel element taking the form of spaced substantially parallel score lines defining an intermediate strip between the two spaced parallel side panels formed in each side element, end flaps extending from the opposite end margins of said central panel and from the opposite end margins of each of the outer ones of said side panels, said central panel end flaps extending toward said intermediate strips and perpendicular to said central panel, and said side panel end flaps being disposed in overlying relation with their adjacent central panel end flaps.

2. A packing member as claimed in claim 1 in which said central panel is provided with apertures therein to retain articles placed on said central panel.

3. A packing member as claimed in claim 1 in which the side panel end flaps are each provided with integral sub-flaps which may be folded into overlying relation of the inner face of the cor-responding central panel end flaps when the packaging member is erected, to provide thereby three-p ly end faces for said member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,840,677 1/19-32 Miessler 229-14 3,107,780 10/1963 'Stuckert 229-14 3,114,493 12/ 1963 Dunkin 229-34 WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

